An intraocular lens, which is commonly referred to as an "IOL", is used to replace the natural lens of the human eye following cataract surgery. To implant an IOL, an incision is made in the eye, and the IOL is inserted through the incision and fixed within the eye in accordance with known techniques. The incision in the eye creates trauma and a possibility of infection. For these and other reasons, it is desirable to minimize the length of the incision.
An IOL commonly includes an optic and fixation means for fixing the optic within the eye. To minimize the size of the incision, both the optic and the fixation means can be made of deformable material so that they can be rolled or deformed for insertion through a relatively small incision. One such IOL is shown in published British Patent Application No. 2,114,315. Although folding or deforming the optic and fixation means for implantation is desirable to reduce the length of the incision, the length of the incision could be further reduced through the use of a foldable optic which employs a lower volume of material.
It is also known to construct an IOL having high magnification by utilizing multiple air lenses in tandem. Each of the air lenses has one or more gas-filled bubbles. One such construction is shown in Levy et al U.S. Pat. No. 4,074,368. The IOL shown in this patent is constructed of rigid material and has a very substantial axial dimension. Accordingly, it is not suited for implantation through a small incision.